I was walking around the backroads of downtown Avarua and heard the sound of ukulele and guitar. I tracked it down to these guys, who are from the island of Atiu. They're here to compete in dancing and singing during the Cook Islands two-week-long national independence celebration in August. When I told them I was from the United States, they jumped into a mind-blowing rendition of "This Land is Your Land." The uke player was amazingly talented. I sat there with my mouth open.

On June 21, 2003, Mark Frauenfelder and Carla Sinclair moved from Los Angeles to the South Pacific. Our first stop is Rarotonga, a tiny island in the South Pacific. We're bringing our two young daughters with us.